TRAILER: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises trailer has finally been released online ahead of the film's eagerly anticipated cinema debut this summer.

“There’s a storm coming,” declares Catwoman - played this time round by a slinky Anne Hathaway - opening the first in a series of explosive scenes, accompanied by a haunting score that gets unbearably intense.

The story kicks in eight years after the Dark Knight (Christian Bale) took the fall for Two Face’s crimes. Masked terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy) is on the scene and Batman returns to protect Gotham, a city that has shunned him as an enemy.

Nothing is quite as it seems, however, both at work and play, with a love interest for the caped crusader that comes minus tail and whiskers.

The film marks the third and final Batman film by Christopher Nolan, who also directed Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Gary Oldman and Michael Caine complete a star-studded line-up.